Model Students
by AvaGrace91
Summary: Carlisle has an idea to get the family more involved in Forks. Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie volunteer with children, while Edward and Alice try out for school sports. All hell breaks loose when Bella decides she wants to be involved, too. Warning: Fluff
1. Carlisle's Idea

Disclaimer: Nothing would be possible without Stephenie Meyer's brilliance.

**Please bear with me on this one, I just got over a nasty cold and have had this idea circulating in my head for about 10 minutes. It's a very vague story so far (it'll probably end up being 3-4 chapters), but get ready for some E/B fluff and an injury or two (:**

"Now, everyone, please keep an open mind about this. You know I care about you all immensely, and this is purely for our family's sake. Think of it more as an experiment. If it doesn't sit well with you, then that is perfectly alright with Esme and myself." Carlisle finally began to talk of what Edward and Alice seemed aware of already. Edward had a smile playing on his lips, his arm thrown behind the back of my chair. I glanced up at him; his dazzling golden eyes piercing mine with a radiant glow.

Alice, on the other hand, did not looked pleased. In fact, she was pouting. I knew she was dying to announce what vision she had seen that was not making her happy about what Carlisle was telling us.

"All of you know we can't stay here forever. And I must admit, it does sadden me to think that we have been here for so long and not one of you have participated in any sort of extracurricular activities that the humans do in Forks," Esme began, her tone soft.

"They all think we hike! We alone have kept the Newton's store in business! Just ask anyone who sat by us in class, we were gone half the time to hunt!" Alice slapped her little hand of the table, causing the rather stable surface to quiver.

"Alice, would you please share whatever you saw with the rest of us? It's obvious there is something about this seemingly harmless idea that is bothering you," Carlisle questioned.

She shook her head, causing her shimmery earrings to sparkle when they caught the light from the window. With a huff, she turned to Edward and grumbled something unintelligible under he breath.

"Alice saw herself…cheerleading," Edward said calmly, throwing Jasper a glance. A huge frown appeared on Jasper's face, his eyebrows coming together tightly. I tried to imagine it; Alice, cheering loudly towards the bleachers and prancing around Forks High School with pompoms. Okay, that last part was a bit exaggerated. Forks eliminated the pompoms in the 90's.

"Jasper, what in the world do you have against that?" Emmett looked extremely confused, but entertained at the same time. Rosalie rolled her eyes and shot Alice a warning look.

"Edward…?" Carlisle looked distraught. I chuckled to myself, imagining how any other normal person could interpret this conversation. My chest swelled with adoration for the Cullens, and how they trusted me enough to have me at their family meetings.

"Jasper dislikes the way the boys at Forks look at the cheerleaders. Since he won't be there, he's worried about the way she'll be treated. Alice is also upset…she doesn't see Bella with her." He smirked, looking down at me.

"Ha!" I couldn't help myself as I laughed once in shock. Why Alice would ever expect me to put myself in any sort of situation where I was on display, performing stunts and drawing attention to myself, I never imagined. Edward moved one hand to hold mine under the table, his thumb rubbing across my knuckles soothingly.

"This is meant to be practice. For you to learn self control, and maybe give back a little to the town that has treated us so well," Carlisle said sternly, "As for Emmett and Jasper, I was thinking you both could coach a sports team for younger children. And Rosalie, what if you volunteered with the elementary school? One of my patients told me that they need more volunteers."

Rosalie's mouth, usually turned slightly downwards, erupted into a brilliant smile. Emmett also looked pretty happy as well…who knew he would be excited about coaching little kids? Or, maybe he was just happy about Rosalie getting to spend time with children. I couldn't help but hope it might make her a little more easy going. Jasper still looked less than thrilled.

Looking up at Edward, I gazed at his strong jaw, his perfect smile, his adorably tousled hair. What did Carlisle and Esme have in mind for him? All of a sudden, a dull feeling overcame my senses. They couldn't possibly be expecting me to take part in a school sport?

Sensing my discomfort, he took both arms and circled them around my waist. His chair was automatically closer to mine, his sweet smell just barely calming me. His smile was genuine, and my fear melted away. He was more protective of my safety than I was of extreme embarrassment. He wouldn't put me in a situation like that.

"Carlisle, I think I'm going to try out for the swim team. And you're right, I think it would offer me good practice at self control," Edward said, his fingers interlocked with mine around my waist. Esme was beaming.

"Oh, Edward! I cannot wait to come to one of your meets! Needless to remind you, but I feel the need to-"

"Esme, you know I'd never put us in danger. I promise to be as mediocre of a swimmer as possible." He smiled, offering Esme an answer before she even addressed the issue of Edward being so _fast. _Ha, I could see it now! Edward beating every record for the state of Washington, easily making it to the Olympics, and not even trying hard.

"Bella, you do know that we don't expect you to feel obligated to be involved in this," Esme paused, "it's mainly to teach these crazy, competitive Cullens that patience comes from practice. We know you have a lot on your plate, so don't feel like you have to take part."

I did have a lot on my plate. I had endless amounts of homework, despite how brilliant of a tutor Edward was. Charlie had become accustomed to the chores I took upon myself to do everyday. Every other waking moment was spent with Edward, and it still never felt like enough. However, I knew that Edward wanted to please Carlise and Esme, and I knew that I was a terrible swimmer. There had to be something I could do, I refused to be left out because of my lack of grace.

"Maybe…I can learn some patience, too." Seven heads snapped towards me in disbelief.


	2. Edward's Meet

Trying as hard as I could to close the front door quietly, it still squeaked shut, with a loud metallic click once I thought I could make it through without being heard. _Crap._

"Bells? Why are you home so late? It's 9:15!" Charlie bellowed from the living room. My face flushed with anger when I realized that I'd been caught, and how foolish it was that I was eighteen years old and still had a strict curfew.

"Sorry Charlie, but I was caught up talking with Alice. We decided we were going to try out for different, uh, school sports." My voice got noticeably quieter at the last part. It still didn't escape Charlie.

"Wait…what? Sports? I thought you hated sports. Do you mean you're going to manage one? Be a water girl?"

I felt another surge of anger consume me. Water girl?! This was beginning to spark a new reason for wanting to be a part of Carlisle's idea. Not only did I not want to be left out, but no one seemed to think it was possible for me to be on a team. This was getting ridiculous.

"Dad, I haven't done any sort of sport since my days of rec soccer in Phoenix. And I don't think doing ballet as a kindergartener counts," I told him plainly.

"Alright…whatever you say, kiddo. Is, uh, Edward involved in this, too? He seems to look like an athlete,"

"Edward's thinking about the swim team. Alice might cheerlead," The words sounded comical coming out of my mouth. Charlie's face seemed to brighten when I mentioned Alice.

"She'd make a great cheerleader! She's so energetic! Thought about that, Bells? Your mom was a cheerleader, you know," His face was hard to read. Hopefully I wasn't bringing back any painful memories for him.

"I'm not too sure. Not volleyball. Or basketball, for sure. I don't like anything flying around my face." Wow, a sport without a ball. That sure narrowed things down.

"That leaves out tennis. And soccer. And softball. Dang Bella, you don't have a whole lot of options. Track or swimming, I guess. I'm not letting you wrestle. Now that's a disaster waiting to happen," He had a smug look on his face. I'd prove him wrong.

"Fine. We'll see. I'm going to bed. Night, Dad," I grabbed my backpack and trudged up the stairs, my head beginning to ache. It had been a long day.

Pushing open my door, I looked around for Edward. He wasn't here yet. How odd. I yanked my history book open and began to try to read the 4 chapters I was assigned. All the words seemed much too small, and boring. I read for about ten minutes until I gave up, throwing my book on the floor. Grabbing a pillow and hugging it to my chest, I curled up on my bed. Visions of balls smacking me in the head began to creep into my brain. I pictured myself wearing the tight, hideous yellow track outfit, running towards a hurdle, and ending up in an ambulance.

I looked up from my daydream just in time to see Edward slide into my room through my window. Beaming, he gracefully moved towards my bed with his arms out. His deep navy sweater looked exceptionally good on him, highlighting his blazing eyes as they met mine. Reaching out to him, I couldn't help but feel my bad attitude wipe away in an instant. He repositioned us on the bed, holding me in his arms. My history book was suddenly in his hands, opened right up to the chapter I had left off on.

"How about I read out loud to you, and quiz you on the questions I'm nearly sure will be on your test?" He whispered in my ear, his nose inching along my neck. I nodded, content to lay in his arms as he made history come alive.

By the time he finished, I felt much more prepared for my test, but sick of history. Turning in his arms, I kissed him softly. He smiled against my lips, moving one hand to tuck my hair behind my ear.

"I should do that more often. I'd read to you about the Spanish American War forever to get another reaction like that," He grinned, his eyes closing slowly as I kissed his throat. Moving toward his left ear, he reached his hands to hold my face as he sighed, his breath tickling my face.

"So, although I'm very partial as to what you're going to decide upon, I'm extremely curious as to what sport you are interested in participating in, love," He said, readjusting himself so that he lay on his side facing me. At first I worried that he was mocking me, but his face was so sincere.

"I've narrowed it down. Really, really narrowed it down. I could either cheerlead with Alice, or swim with you. Those seem to be the least damaging to my immediate health," I whispered, locking our fingers together.

He lifted our hand up to his lips, kissing each of my knuckles softly, slowly. Smiling, he locked eyes with me, keeping quiet. It bothered me.

"What? You don't think I could do it? Let me remind you, just because I'm not graceful or freakishly good at everything like you doesn't mean-"

"Bella," he breathed, leaning over to kiss my head, "I would be absolutely elated at the idea of you swimming with me,"

My voice felt thick in my throat. Had he really said that? I was expecting every excuse he could muster to keep me from participating in Carlisle's idea.

"Really? You wouldn't be able to save me, you know. If I started drowning, and Mike was closer than you were, you would have to let him save me," I challenged him, hoping he wouldn't take my comment about drowning seriously.

"Mike plays basketball. I've thought this out, love. And if you are going to swim, then we will have practice together. And, I'd get to see you in a bathing suit, which is enticing enough," he said, averting his gaze to my hand.

"I look like a dodo bird in a bathing suit. And you'll probably look perfect," I sighed, thinking of just how much the boys' suits exposed. Thinking of myself, awkward and pale, with all my hair tucked in a swim cap made me cringe.

"You know, on second thought," I began, thinking out loud, "maybe cheerleading with Alice wouldn't be so bad. I'll just make sure that I'm not at the top of any pyramids. Besides, we can all do it in the same season. I can come to your meets, and you can come to basketball games," I looked up at him, awaiting his reaction.

"Despite the fact that I won't get to see you as often, I think Alice would love that. Now, enough of this talk tonight, it's time for you to sleep. We'll talk to people tomorrow at school for more information," he whispered in my ear, pulling me to his chest as he sat up. Holding me with one arm, he swiftly pulled back my blankets and delicately tucked me in. The room became dark as he shut the light off and was pulling me towards his embrace. Snuggling into his chest, I sighed in contentment.

THREE WEEKS LATER

"Yes, Edward, go!" Angela screamed as she jumped up and down by the pool. She was the captain of the swim team, and thought that this was Edward's very first meet. Despite her trim figure, she still had a towel wrapped tightly around her waist. Every time it would inch down, she'd yank it up and continue yelling for her teammates. Edward was the only one who had a chance at winning.

The smell of chlorine was much too potent. The bleachers were packed, but that was mainly because there were only two small sections of bleachers in the gym's pool. I sat with Esme, who wore a sly smile on her face as she watched Edward dart through the water. I caught several women enviously eyeing her. Mostly everyone's eyes were on the race. Particularly Edward.

He certainly looked fast to me. His actions also looked very believable. When his head popped out of the water, he looked like he was breathing in big gasps of air. Only Esme and I were fully aware that he could swim endlessly without taking a breath.

The relay was nearly over, Edward seeming to slow down just a bit. I could almost feel the disappointment from the Forks fans as their last chance at having a state qualifier disappeared as Edward slipped into fourth place. The buzzer was loud, but not loud enough to drown out the groans from the parents sitting around us. Forks was not known for their swim team.

As I waited from him to emerge from the locker room, I glanced at my watch. We had an away game in about an hour, and it took thirty minutes to get there. Alice was more than likely already warming up. She was taking her role as co-captain for the squad very seriously. If it weren't for her, I'd probably be kicked off already. I was always timid at practice, never anxious to cheer at games. The coach gave up trying to coax me into cheering loud enough to hear from the front row of bleachers during practice. If it weren't for my desire to eliminate Charlie's shock that I made it and was still showing up for games, I would have quit by the first week.

"Hello, beautiful," Edward laughed, swinging me up into his arms for a quick kiss. His hair was still wet from his shower, but he was dressed impeccably. My hair was frazzled from being in the humidity, and my cheerleading skirt was wrinkled from laying on my floor for a week. Esme came around the corner, a huge smile on her face.

"I am so proud of you! You have no idea how nervous I was that you would win," Esme tousled his hair affectionately. She was right though; fourth place was perfect for Carlisle's proposal.

"Oh, Bella! Your game starts soon! We need to get you over there now," Edward grinned, taking my hand as we made our way out to the parking lot.

Great. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

**Thanks for reading! One, possibly two more chapters to come. I bear no ill will towards cheerleaders, I promise.**


	3. Bella's Game

"Where the hell have you been?" Alice gasped, yanking me towards the area where the cheerleaders left their bags. Her white tennis shoes squeaked across the basketball's shiny floor as she marched me along. The unfamiliar school was much louder and noisier than I was accustomed to. Forks had basketball games, but the fans weren't too rowdy. This place was packed and the game hadn't even started yet. A rock formed in my stomach.

"Edward drove as fast as he could. We didn't know the school would be so packed," I weakly apologized, my nerves causing me to feel light-headed. Alice sighed loudly and began re-doing my hair. She pulled it into a tight ponytail on the top of my head. I had to try extra hard not to hiss in pain as she worked her magic on my frizzy hair, eventually tying an enormous bow on top of it and hosing it down in hairspray. My long-sleeved uniform felt itchy and uncomfortable on me. And the skirt always felt much, much too short. However, I resisted trying to yank it down. The game was about to start.

"Girls! Gather 'round," barked the cheer coach, someone I avoided at all costs. At practices I instantly froze up and forgot nearly every cheer, it was a wonder she hadn't asked me not to come back. She gave me a wary look, probably irritated at the fact that I showed up five minutes before the game began.

"Alice, Megan, Lauren, and Erica…you four are the cheering first quarter. Alice and Lauren, you two stay in for second, and…Kelsey and Hailey, you two go in with them," Coach announced, giving me the best news I'd heard all day. I'd take the sidelines over cheering any game. Especially a game jam-packed with people. And we weren't even scheduled to perform at halftime! Too bad I'd worn my stupid uniform.

As the game began, I took my seat on the bench and watched with limited interest. Poor Edward, and Esme. This must be miserable for them. At least they had Alice to watch. Looking over at the first string of cheerleaders, I took in her proud gleam. Her spiky hair bounced as she kicked and jumped up and down. She wouldn't admit it, but she loved cheerleading. Who'd have ever though?

I began zoning, my mind drifting to Edward. Thank goodness he couldn't read my mind, the amount of times he crossed it would be downright embarrassing. Turning around and looking up, I instantly met his gaze. He waved and sent me a dazzling smile. I mouthed to him that I wasn't going to be cheering, along with an enthusiastic fist pump and he laughed. Esme had her eyes on Alice, wearing a proud smile. It was too bad Carlisle had to work late. Jasper and Emmett coached in the evenings, and Rosalie had no interest in coming to the game. Or Edward's meet.

The game dragged on, with much too many penalty shots and time outs. I had a book stuck in my gym bag, and figured it couldn't hurt to entertain myself if I wasn't going to be doing anything anyway. Once I opened it up, I became engrossed in the story, the real world drifting away.

_BAM! _Something hard slammed into my head, knocking the book out of my hands. Dazed, I looked around, seeing none other than Mike Newton rushing over to me. The whistle blew as the ref halted the game impatiently, waiting for Mike to grab the ball and get back into the game.

"Bella! Are you okay? Tyson didn't know what he was doing-"

"Mike, I'm fine, really,"

"You sure?" Sweat was dripping down his nose, not nearly grossing me out as much as the armpit hair sticking out of his uniform. I gave him as big of a smile as I could manage and pushed him back, trying to hide my embarrassment at having attention put on my accident-prone tendencies. Glancing up, I shot Edward as reassuring a look as I could, trying to ignore the fact that he looked like he was ready to kill the guy who'd lost control of the ball. Esme had one arm on his shoulder, trying to keep peace. The game proceeded through the second quarter, but I put my book away and began paying more attention. Every now and then I'd turn around smile at Edward and Esme, but the cheer coach gave me such a disapproving look that I figured it wasn't even worth it anymore.

I nearly jumped out of my seat when the halftime buzzer went off. Mike beamed at me as he ran off the court, and I gave him a flat smile. Alice flounced over to me, asking if she looked alright. Of course she did, she looked like she could cheer for the Lakers. Looking around, I suddenly became nauseous. A large boom box was being set up, which only meant one thing.

"Alright, girls, it's cleared with the school's athletic director. We can do halftime," she enthusiastically announced, causing a serious of high fives and squeals to erupt from the girls around me. Even Alice accepted a hug from Lauren, the co-captain. I stood there, my face more than likely losing all color. My stomach seemed to drop to the floor, and a large bulge formed in my throat. The crowd began to notice that we were going to perform, and Edward sent me a dazzling smile. He had never seen a half-time show, aside from what he probably saw in Alice's mind. What he didn't know was that I had forgotten nearly every motion to the entire thing, not bothering to rehearse earlier with Alice thinking we wouldn't be doing this till our next home game. I also noticed Emmett and Jasper making their way to where Esme and Edward sat; their game must have ended early. Or they went double the speed limit.

"Um, coach, I don't really think it would be a, uh, good idea for me to-"

"Isabella, we can't do it without you," Her glare was lethal. And I knew I had brought this upon myself. There was no denying it, I was screwed. Thankfully I was closer to the back of the main stunting group, a slight advantage to having been up in the front or lifted high into the air.

We all took position, the noisy gym quieting to a few mutters. The music blasted to life, an obnoxious techno-pop song that I dreaded hearing every practice. I was half a second behind everyone else, praying it wasn't too noticeable that I barely remembered a few moves before glancing around to see what the other girls were doing. So many mental reminders flew through my brain. _Watch your step. Don't stick your arm out too far to the right. Jump a bit higher. Smile!_

The song was nearly over, my nerves getting the better of me as I stumbled into position as a base for Lauren. Three of us hoisted her into the air, but she wavered at the top, her smile faltering as she tried to catch her balance. Then, almost as an answered prayer, she stayed up until we caught her at just the right moment.

It came to the part of the routine where we were supposed to kick as high as we could into the air, sort of like doing the splits while jumping. I had avoided doing this at practice, hoping and praying that the time would never come where I had to actually do it.

_Well…I could run out of the gym. That wouldn't be very inconspicuous, though. I could make up a different move. Oh, crap, this was the jump that we ALL do. Oh well, here it goes…_

I made a last ditch effort to follow along with everyone else, landing on my feet at the perfect time. The song ended as we finished, the crowd mildly applauding at the mediocre display. However, there was obviously something wrong. My right leg felt completely disconnected to my hip. An unbearable pain began to run all across my leg, wiping the fake smile right off my face. Limping off the gym floor, my eyes searched for a trainer. I found him sitting on a bench nearby, getting ready to watch the third quarter as the players re-entered the court.

"Um, excuse me…something's wrong with my, uh…" Shoot, what did you call this? Instead of trying to come up with a word, I pointed to the junction between my thigh and my hip, wincing and the pain intensified. Alice was there in an instant, her eyes full and anxious. I didn't even bother looking towards the bleachers for Edward, I knew he was probably on his way down, struggling to go a human pace.

"Hmm, let's get you into my office. It's right this way," the trainer didn't look too concerned. This bothered me a bit, since I had no idea what had happened. Relief flooded me when I felt a cool arm wrap around my waist, Edward's face clouded with worry. Guiltily, I let him take on most of my weight, my injury beginning to throb. I lied back on the table, wincing again as I shifted my leg. The trainer moved my leg around slowly, having me do a few exercises before handing me a huge ice pack.

"Well, Miss. Swan, it appears that you have a pulled groin muscle," he said indifferently, not noticing the enormous blush that came over my face. Flushed with embarrassment, I avoided Edward and Alice's gaze, knowing that this was probably the most humiliating injury that could have possibly happened to me.

"You'll need to ice it every few hours, and make sure you rest. No more cheerleading this season. You have about a Grade II strain, but it appears to be pretty mild. So…there will be some bruising and discomfort, but you should be able to walk fine once the swelling goes down. For the next few days, make sure you have this guy with you," He pointed at Edward, who spoke with him for several minutes before I was allowed to leave.

Esme, Jasper, and Emmett met us in the hallway, no one saying a word. Embarrassed tears sprang up in my eyes, knowing that they would never let me live this down.

"Well…at least I know why I saw only myself cheering in my vision. That must the next game," Alice smiled, obviously trying to make me feel better. Waves of calmness began to cloud my mind, making me nearly relaxed, if it weren't for the pain in my…groin.

"Thanks Jasper," I whispered, hugging Edward more tightly as he knelt down to cradle me in his arms slowly. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he started walking us to the parking lot, making sure not to jostle me in any way. He opened the back door to his Volvo, laying me down across the backseats. I placed the stupid icepack against my hip, closing my eyes and trying to fall asleep. It was now dark outside, and Edward had the radio turned down to a soothing classical station. It seemed like forever until his car pulled slowly to a stop in front of my house, the lights all off.

"Up we go, love," Edward murmured as he carried me to the house. Charlie awoke and held in his laughter as Edward explained what happened.

"Bells, I knew it was only a matter of time. I'm surprised you lasted so long! Too bad I only got to see one game,"

"Whatever. I hated it anyways. I want to go to bed, can Edward take me upstairs?" I knew I was pushing my luck. Tension was radiating from Charlie.

"Chief Swan, how about I just get her up the stairs? It's been a long night, I'm ready to head home," Edward said, faking exhaustion in his voice. I almost believed it myself if I didn't feel him tightening his arms around me as he spoke.

Well…alright. I'm going to head up, anyways. I'll wait and walk Edward to the door," He said briskly.

Once Edward had me tucked into bed, he promised to be back as soon as Charlie checked on me. Pulling the ice pack back onto my thigh, I sighed as I waited for the Tylenol I had taken in the trainer's office to start working. I heard the floorboards creaking as Charlie walked into his room, and I called out goodnight to him. He seemed tired, too. About thirty seconds later Edward was back.

Scooting over, I made room for him on my small bed. He eased me into his embrace, his cool arms rubbing up and down my waist.

"I wonder if you'll feel better than the ice pack," I whispered, moving the stupid thing to my bedside table as I pulled his hand across my aching thigh. He instantly froze up, but didn't move his hand. I turned my head around and kissed him fully on the lips, sighing happily as he kissed me back softly.

"I believe my swimming days are over, since someone needs to keep you occupied while you recover," he said, gazing into my eyes. Too bad recovery was only about four or five days. His hands began soothing circles over my uniform. The nylon still felt just as uncomfortable, and I suddenly desired to be in my comfortable sweats.

"That sounds wonderful, but only if you really want to," I smiled, knowing that he had no problem ditching the swim team. Angela would be disappointed, but she'd understand. He was only keeping up with the act to please Carlisle. The others, however, adored their new responsibilities.

"How did Emmett and Jasper's team do?"

"They won, of course.," he chuckled, "Emmett had to control his temper a bit. Jasper had his hands full. Apparently the refs were a bit biased,"

"Seriously? The kids are only five!!"

"I know. Jasper took care of it, though. His gift really has come in handy since they started coaching," Edward whispered, a smile appearing on his face. He pulled me closer and began humming, and it took me a second to realize that the tune was to the awful halftime song we had to perform to.

"Edward! Stop that! You know how much I hate it," I laughed, snuggling closet. I reached down and grabbed one of his hands, kissing his palm. He moved it to my hair, raking his fingers through my hair.

"Bella…would you like to take a bath?" He whispered, his breath making me dizzy. Surely he didn't mean…?

"Don't get any ideas," he chuckled, "just so you don't have to wake up with all this hairspray. And I'm sure your, um… injury, would feel much better,"

Dangit. I should have known that was completely out of the question. He helped me walk down to the bathroom, running the water for me. He then excused himself and let me undress and soak, enjoying the warm water as it lulled me into a more relaxed state. As I tried to stand up, my strain suddenly began to throb from the pressure of me standing up.

"Edward," I hissed, trying to sound as nonchalant as I could as I yanked the shower curtain across the tub. I heard him creak the door open.

"Bella, love, are you alright? My eyes are closed," I peeked around the curtain, and saw one hand covering his eyes as the held the other one out on front of him.

"Um, it's a little hard to stand up. Could you, uh-"

"Here," He smiled as his eyes remained closed and he held out a towel. His arms were outstretched as he inched forward towards the tub. I grasped his arms as he pulled me up, turning around as I wrapped myself up in it.

"Okay, Edward, I'm decent," I laughed as he stiffened, opened his eyes and held his arms out again. He carried me up to my room, leaving again to let me change. I towel-dried my hair as much as I could until I felt too exhausted and limped back over to the bed. He appeared, his eyes closed again. Good lord, was that really necessary?

"Does it repulse you that much to think of me without clothes?" I teased, pulling back my blankets as a settled in. He knelt at the foot of my bed, taking my hands in his as he kissed my forehead.

"It's much, much too tempting. That's the problem," He smiled, suddenly in the bed. I turned towards him and pushed my face into his chest, inhaling his scent.

"How's the groin?" He whispered, a smirk on his face.

**One more chapter left! More of a recap, and it'll talk a bit more about that Emmett and Jasper and Rosalie went through. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Emmett and Jasper's Playoff

**Last chapter, enjoy!**

TWO WEEKS LATER

"Would you like some help?" Edward's arms reached out towards me, an offer hard to decline. His face was etched with worry at having me walking so much in one day. This was the first time I had ventured away from my house or school since my strain. But even then, Edward had been there to hold onto me, supporting my weight effortlessly. In fact, I hadn't even really needed his help after the first week, but it was still nice to have him helping me. He rarely gave me the chance to assure him I could walk despite the slight discomfort.

I smiled, gratitude filling me as I simply took his hand, our fingers intertwining automatically. "You spoil me. I'm just fine walking, I promise." We continued walking towards Forks Elementary School, just in time to catch the second half of Jasper and Emmett's mini Spartan's soccer playoffs.

Edward chuckled to himself, leading us over to the cold steel bleachers. It was extremely overcast; the dull and dreary day matched the mood Edward predicted everyone would be in today. Rosalie was ending her time volunteering with the Special Education department; her time spent tirelessly working with children she had grown very attached to. Too attached to, she worried, which was why she was finishing and saying her goodbyes today. Emmett and Jasper were also coaching their final game today. The small group of children adored them both, the team never before having made it as far as they had this season. They had won nearly every game, thanks to the assiduous and diligent coaching Edward's brothers had given them.

"What?" I asked, self conscious as to why he was laughing to himself.

"Believe it or not, I'm going to miss getting to hold you everywhere we go now that you're feeling better. If I could, I'd carry you everywhere."

I blushed, slowly (and a tad bit awkwardly) sitting down on the hard metal bench. We were the only ones occupying this set of bleachers. All of the children's parents were standing under a large tented canopy closer to the sideline, fearing it might rain. They had a tailgate set up for after the game, with plenty of food to commiserate the end of the season, whether they won this game or not.

Almost as if he sensed my discomfort, Edward removed his jacket and set it on his knees, picked me up gently, and placed me on his lap. I reached behind for his arms, wrapping them around my waist. He rested his chin on my head, sighing as we watched the game.

A goal was scored on the team, causing a huge moan from the group of parents. Glancing at the weathered scoreboard, I saw that we were now two behind. Emmett's booming voice could be heard across the field, despite the loud, whistling wind that blew relentlessly. I could just barely make out Jasper, a clipboard in his hands and a gaggle of kids surrounding him in their navy uniforms. Another goal was scored on us, then another. Edward smiled, whispering in my ear, "I'm very glad Emmett has been able to control his frustration. It's bizarre, seeing him so calm when he's losing. Usually his competitive nature comes out at times like these,"

"I'm sure Jasper's gift is helping. Carlisle was right…practice has been good for some of you more competitive Cullens," I teased, adoration evident in my voice.

A whistle finally blew, signaling the end of the game. Edward's phone buzzed, and he chatted with Carlisle about the game. I heard him tut in disappointment, his eyes on my hands as I stroked his smooth arms absentmindedly. Hanging up, he told me that Alice was in a very gloomy mood. Cheer season had just ended.

"Uh oh. At least Jasper can spend time with her. How perfect, that everyone seemed to finish at the same time," I wondered out loud. However, I noticed Edward's smirk.

"Except us, love. We ended a bit early," he joked, walking us towards my truck. I had insisted on driving, confident that my sprain had healed enough to allow me a reunion with my beloved vehicle, regardless if it wasn't up to Edward's standards. Without hesitating, he opened my door and lifted me into the drivers seat, slamming the door shut as he reappeared in the passenger side in less than a second.

It took twice the amount of time for my truck to reach the Cullen's house than it usually did, the dark road causing me to drive a bit more cautiously. Edward was incredibly patient. Once we pulled up, he was immediately by my side, the door open and his hand out to steady me.

Instead of taking it, I remained sitting in my seat, turned and faced him. My hand reached out and brushed against his cheek, making its way up to his hair, where it remained. He stood there smiling, taking my hand and bringing it up to his lips, kissing each fingertip softly. Suddenly, he frowned, his brown creasing.

"Bella! Oh, Bella, I miss it so much!" Alice wailed, her face in her hands. Edward sighed and helped me out of the truck as we made our way over to the house.

Alice stood on the steps, dressed in a really cute lavender dress. As soon as I stepped onto the porch, she flung her arms around me. Awkwardly patting her back, I didn't really know what to say. Shooting Edward a look, he smiled and patted her on the head.

"Alice, you know you're my favorite person on earth, aside from Bella," he smiled, waiting for her to look at him. She let go of me, her eyes still full of sadness.

"Oh, I know. I'm just so…bummed. I wish it didn't have to end,"

"Of course. You were a wonderful cheerleader," Edward grinned.

"Better than me," I mumbled under my breath. That caused Alice to snicker, taking both our hands and pulling us into the house. We all chatted with Esme and Carlisle until Jasper sauntered in, followed by Emmett and Rosalie.

"Hey everyone, come on into the living room. We want to talk with you for a moment," Esme cheerfully called, beckoning all of the Cullens into the spacious room where Carlisle was already sitting on the couch. Alice sauntered in, hand in hand with Jasper. Rosalie had a neutral look on her face, following a poignant Emmett. Edward had told me that Rosalie probably wouldn't share her emotions around everyone, but that she was in fact very upset she had to say goodbye to the children she had met.

"I just wanted to tell all of you how proud we are. Jasper, you have exercised wonderful self-control. We weren't concerned about you once. Emmett, please don't be upset that the kids lost. You both were an inspiration to them," Carlisle began, smiling at his sons.

"Rosalie, it's obvious that your time volunteering has been such a huge help to the school, especially the special education department. You should consider teaching," Carlisle continued, as Esme reached out and hugged Rosalie.

I began to get nervous, wishing Carlisle wouldn't mention anything about my brief and horribly embarrassing stint with cheerleading. Cringing, I leaned towards Edward as his arm slid over my shoulder.

"Edward, you did remarkably well not being… well, a showoff. Not that we didn't think you couldn't do it, of course," Esme said, beaming at Edward. He returned the smile, chuckling.

"Alice…and Bella, we're so glad you both gave cheerleading a chance. Alice, please cheer up, honey. You know that the other girls loved getting to know you. We're glad you got so much out of it," Carlisle paused, looking directly at me now, "Bella, I am so sorry you injured yourself, but I know that Alice appreciates that you gave it a chance. You know I consider you like one of my children, and I am so grateful that you included yourself in this."

"Thank you, Carlisle. And Esme. You both are very kind," I gave them as sincere a look as I could, trying my hardest to not allow the terrible memories of cheerleading practice and my humiliating injury to enter my mind.

Once everyone had chatted a bit, my eyelids began to droop. Edward noticed, and offered to drive me home. I shook my head, trying to savor my time out of the house for once. For the past few weeks I'd been on house arrest, only able to leave for school. Charlie was irritated that Edward had quit the swim team just to spend time with me, and had been coming up with bizarre ways to keep me home, mainly using the pulled groin muscle as an excuse for not wanting me leave the house.

He insisted, however, once it was obvious that I was zoning out. He drove me home and met me upstairs, pulling me into his arms as I kissed him, already struggling to breathe properly.

He paused, pulling away and gazing into my eyes.

"Yes?" I asked impatiently, my breathing still erratic.

"You know…I was thinking, spring sports are right around the corner. We better start practicing for soccer season."

He ducked as I tried hit him playfully, laughing as he pulled me back in for a kiss.

**SO sorry for the lame ending! It was really difficult to try to come up with a sensible conclusion while still keeping the story light. **

**Please review if you liked it!**

***New story idea: Bella gets the swine flu? I had it over Christmas break and it was dreadful. I wish I had had an Edward to take care of me then. Let me know what you think? I'll start a draft tomorrow***


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